E-mail <clarion@goodiesruleok.com> with UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of your message. If you are using multiple or forwarded e-mail addresses, please specify the e-mail address which you originally used when subscribing, otherwise we may not be able to remove you from the mailing list.

QUOTE: "Noel Gordon is TV Personality Of The Year. Again! The Radio Times is the biggest selling magazine in Europe! TONY BLACKBURN!"

(a) Which Goodie says this quote?

(b) What is he trying to do in the process?

(c) Which episode is this quote from?

QUIZ: This month's questions are from the episode: "The Movies"

(d) Who does Bill refer to as "Lavatory Meadows"?

(e) What is the Goodies first film production?

(f) How does a drunken Bill try to kill one of Tim's poodles?

(g) What kind of film does Tim try to make on his own?

(h) Who gets clobbered by Moses and his ten commandments?

The answers are listed at the end of this newsletter.

2. BOFFO IDEAS

You can make it happen here. Liven up the club with a boffo idea for bob-a-job week. E-mail <enquiries@goodiesruleok.com> with your comments, ideas or suggestions - meanwhile these are the boffo ideas which our club has been working on this month:

HOLIDAY SALE ON GOODIES T-SHIRTS

We're pleased to announce an extra-special sale on the club t-shirts, just in time for the holiday season! Why not buy a t-shirt (or three) for those special Goodies fans on your shopping list?

MULTIPLE SHIRTS OFFER:

Between now and December 25th the following pricing is in effect:

* 1 shirt for $25 (plus postage)

* 2 shirts for $40 (plus postage)

* 3 shirts for $55 (plus postage)

You can mix & match between the different sizes & styles available on our t-shirt page (http://www.goodiesruleok.com/tshirts.php)

SPECIAL PRICING ON SELECTED WOMEN'S STYLE SHIRTS:

Between now and December 25th, all L, XL, and XXL Women's Style shirts are specially priced at $15 each (plus postage). Available styles can be viewed at http://www.goodiesruleok.com/tshirts.php . In addition to these, we have some Women's Style Shirts in emerald green with the same design as style 3.

We strongly suggest the use of Express Post where possible to ensure prompt delivery. Express Post is available to most Australian destinations (except Western Australia outside Perth, the Northern Territory and northern QLD). Australia Post (http://www.auspost.com.au/BCP/0,1080,CH2432%257EMO19,00.html ) has a complete list of postcodes serviced by the Express Post network.

* Outside Australia:

Please contact tshirts@goodiesruleok.com for a price.

SHIPPING DEADLINES FOR HOLIDAY ORDERS:

If you want to receive your order by Christmas we suggest the following deadlines. Please remember that orders cannot be shipped until your payment has been received and cheques have cleared.

- Orders to be shipped to Australian addresses - cutoff date for

pre-Christmas orders is Friday, December 15th

- Orders to be shipped outside of Australia - cutoff date for

pre-Christmas orders is Friday, December 8th

ADDITIONAL DETAILS:

Australian Orders: Where possible, when ordering please include 2nd choices and a daytime contact phone number to avoid delays, as stock can run out at this time of year.

CONTACT FOR QUESTIONS & ORDERS:

Contact Richard Nolan, the Club Merchandise Officer, at tshirts@goodiesruleok.com with any questions about pricing, postage, etc.

SHOPPING FOR GOODIES GOODIES

Goodies gifts (better than a pair of union socks for Xmas!)

(by Lisa Manekofsky)

Any time of year is a good time to give or get Goodies goodies. With the holiday season approaching, I thought it might be helpful to have a guide to some of the available Goodies-related merchandise and a few (although certainly not a complete list of) vendors who can supply it. Feel free to suggest additional vendors, either by emailing president@goodiesruleok.com (for inclusion in next month's newsletter) or by posting in the club's forums.

I focus on larger retailers and online vendors which will be accessible to the greatest number of our readers. When ordering online, remember to consider the total cost, including postage. Also, note that Amazon.co.uk will remove VAT from orders being sent to international addresses (you must go through the checkout process to see the discounted price - you'll have the option not to complete the sale if you wish).

I won't go into details about the titles & contents of the various DVDs, CDs, books, etc. You should be able to find additional information at the vendors' websites. In addition, most items are discussed in detail in the Goodies Illustrated Guide (www.goodiesillustratedguide.com )

DVDs:

DVDs with Goodies episodes have been released in the UK & Australia. Other titles that might be of interest are "At Last the 1948 Show" (with Tim), "Bananaman" (featuring the voices of all three Goodies), and "Bill Oddie - How To Watch Wildlife".

IN THE UK: The DVDs are generally carried by major chains, such as Virgin, Tower, and HMV as well as at the BBC Shop. Use their websites to compare current prices and to check for sales. If interested in ordering online, some reliable vendors are www.amazon.co.uk , www.sendit.com , and www.choicesuk.com . I've heard good things about www.play.com , although I have no personal experience with them.

IN AUSTRALIA / NEW ZEALAND: I've been told that Kmart often has the best prices on Goodies DVDs. The titles can also be found at the ABC Shop as well as major chains like HMV. If interested in ordering online, some reliable vendors are www.ezydvd.com.au and www.nzshop.com

WORLDWIDE: The Goodies DVD that was released in the US appears to have gone out of print and may be hard to find (your best bet for finding it may be to check www.amazon.com and www.moviesunlimited.com ). The "At Last the 1948 Show" is available from many retailers as well as online at www.amazon.com and elsewhere (www.deepdiscountdvd.com doesn't appear to have it at the moment but it's worth checking the site in the future).

You may wish to order the UK or Australian DVDs to use in other countries. Please ensure your DVD player or computer can play PAL disks that are Region 2 (if they are from the UK) or Region 4 (if they are from Australia). The website http://www.videohelp.com/dvdhacks may be able to help you determine if your DVD player can be made multi-region (or to help you find an appropriate unit).

CDs:

"Funky Gibbon: the Best of the Goodies" is available from various music retailers in the UK, including online from www.amazon.co.uk . In Australia, one of the retailers that regularly carry the title is HMV. US online retailer www.amazon.com carries the CD as an import.

There's a long list of "I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue" CDs available. In addition, there are two volumes of its spin-off series, "Hamish & Dougal: You'll Have Had Your Tea". The retailers mentioned in the DVD section usually carry these titles. ISIHAC and "Hamish & Dougal" shows are also available from many digital retailers such as iTunes and Audible (a more extensive list can be found in the "ISIHAC Live" CD review from last month's newsletter, available online at

Several cassettes of "I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again" episodes are available from at least the UK retailers mentioned in the DVD section. Amazon.co.uk's site says that these titles plus a new set will be released on CD in February. I suspect these may be available from at least the ABC Shop in Australia when they are released, but we'll have to wait and see.

BOOKS:

Robert Ross's recently published book "The Goodies Rule OK" is available from major booksellers in the UK and Australia (as well as from the ABC Shop). For those in other countries, it can be ordered from online retailers, including www.amazon.co.uk

UK booksellers also offer several "I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue" books as well as a wide range of Bill's books on nature and bird watching. You may also be able to find these titles in the US, in particular from www.amazon.com .

The ABC Shop in Australia (online at http://shop.abc.net.au/ ) has a range of Goodies items such as pins, keyrings, magnets, and pot holders.

Happy Shopping!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US!

(by Lisa Manekofsky)

The club is celebrating its 11th anniversary. It's been another busy and successful year - we've grown to over 4,000 members! Thanks to everyone who's been with us over the years and welcome to all our new members.

Despite our admiration for Graeme's megalomaniacal plans for world domination, we're actually a pretty nice group who welcome input from our members. Feel free to send contributions for the newsletter (article, news, puzzles, whatever) to clarion@goodiesruleok.com.

WEBSITE POLLS

Well Halloween has come and been, and along with it, your chance to vote on which Goodies-inspired costume you'd most like to wear while out trick-or-treating. The final results for the October poll were:

* October starts with the Goodies show in Brighton (on Oct 5th) and ends with Halloween. What Goodies inspired costume will you choose?

- a grand master of Ecky Thump 73 votes 31.3 %

- the Masked Scout 41 votes 17.6 %

- Rolf Harris 36 votes 15.5 %

- shiny shoes & anything with a union jack

22 votes 9.4 %

- a suit with purple flares 15 votes 6.4 %

- a megalomaniac 14 votes 6.0 %

- an ensemble made entirely of string

13 votes 5.6 %

- a giant toothpaste tube on a spacehopper

10 votes 4.3 %

- Black and White Beauty 7 votes 3.0 %

- other 2 votes 0.9 %

Total. 233 votes

So Rolf was relegated all the way down to third place! Could it be that our voting populace has developed a more discerning and mature outlook at long last? Not flippin' likely ... the lure of looking like T'Grand Master or a masked scout was obviously too strong for even most of our lurking Rolfophiles to resist!

Anyway we continue t'Ecky Thump flavour in this month's poll by posing t'question of who you'd most like to beat t'tripe out of with a black pudding if you ever got t'chance to do so at a virtual Ecky Thump showdown at dawn on Primrose Hill, with t'options being:

* Who would you most like to challenge to a bout of Ecky Thump?

- Nicholas Parsons

- Max Bygraves

- Tony Blackburn

- David Frost

- the BBC (for not repeating The Goodies)

- the ABC (for not repeating The Goodies) (well not since 1993 anyway)

- Rolf Harris

- the people who vote for Rolf Harris

- other

So head to the homepage and cast your vote now. And now, the Archbishop of Canterbury ... ho ho!

3. SPOTTED!!!

More exciting than getting your wig-spotters badge! If you've seen the Goodies recently, e-mail <clarion@goodiesruleok.com>with the details. Here's where we've Spotted!!! the Goodies this month:

GOODIES ON UKTV AGAIN

(Lisa Manekofsky – Goodies-l – 28th Oct)

Reminder: UKTV in Australia (Austar/Foxtel) will be playing episodes of The Goodies on Sundays starting Oct 29th. They will be starting with series 1 episode 1, "The Tower of London", which will air at 2:00pm.

Roadshow Entertainment is re-issuing some episodes from their previous Goodies releases in two 4 episode sets.

The first, "The Goodies - 4 Delicious Episodes" will contain the episodes "Tower of London", "Gender Education", "Kitten Kong", and "Goodies and the Beanstalk".

The second set is entitled "The Goodies - A Second Helping" and has the episodes "Radio Goodies", "Come Dancing", "The Movies", and "South Africa".

Both will be PAL format, Region 4 DVDs. It isn't clear yet whether these will contain any of the bonus features from the earlier sets (I suspect they may not) or which version of "Come Dancing" will be used (my bet would be on the colour version). [For ease of comparison, information about the previous releases can be found at www.goodiesillustratedguide.com ]

Ezydvd.com lists a 6 November release date for the new sets. The ABC Shop's website says they will be available for dispatch in 1-2 days. (See links below). The sets will be available from other vendors as well.

2. encourage all the Goodies fans you know to buy the first two releases (higher sales are the best way to increase the chances of future releases).

RETURN TO SENDIT

(Lisa Manekofsky – Goodies-l – 8th Nov)

I just noticed that Sendit.com currently has both Goodies DVDs ("At Last" and "At Last a Second Helping") on sale for £7.89 each.

FROM THE GOODIES BOOK

(Brian Labza – Goodies-l – 9th Nov)

The Robert Ross Goodies book has just been published in Australia.

I was (pleasantly) surprised to see that it has been updated and includes references to both Goodies 2005 Australian tours and Edinburgh 2006 activities, so it seems to be hot off the presses!

Mysteriously, it is published by ABC Books, who normally only do TV tie-ins for shows currently on ABC ...

I think it is around A$45 hardback.

36 YEARS OLD ... AND HASN’T AGED A BIT

(Duncan Lilly – Goodies-l – 9th Nov)

From today's Guardian Unlimited TV review, right at the end is this little item:

On this day in 1970 ...

Three hairy blokes on one bicycle first turned up on our screens, promising to "do anything, any time". This turned out to mean silly stunts and a lot of slapstick, often speeded up, which they went on doing for 12 years. But I remember thinking, at the time, that they were the funniest thing in the world. They were The Goodies.

I recently got a film developed (yes, I'm still stuck in the dark ages! ;-) which included a couple of pictures from the Goodies appearance at the Edinburgh festival, which some of you may be interested in.

The chairs are for Bill (flower-power style - and as everyone knows his bits were done via video so he didn't really need it!), Tim (obviously!) and Graeme (in brown corduroy, complete with elbow patches on the arms!)

No pictures of the stars I'm afraid - I think I would have been chucked out!

Here in Aussie-land, they invited the audience to photograph them during the final act...Tim singing Wild Thing! Mind you...my photo isn't high quality, with my little camera from right up the back! Here's a picture:

If you've sighted Tim, Bill or Graeme in a post-Goodies role, e-mail <clarion@goodiesruleok.com> so that we can tell everyone where to spot a Goodie nowadays. Those of you seeking radio & tv alerts between issues of the C&G should consider signing up for the Goodies-L mailing list (more details available on the club website), as our crack (cracked?!) team of reporters attempt to post alerts as the information becomes available.

BILL SPOTTINGS

* week starting Mon, 16 Oct - "The Truth About Killer Dinosaurs" will be repeated on UKTV Documentary and UKTV Documentary Plus on various days & times; check your local listings

(Lisa Manekofsky – Goodies-l – 16th Oct)

* Mon, 16 Oct - "Wogan: Now and Then" includes an appearance by Bill. The show airs on UKTV Documentary at 12:00-13:00 and then on UKTV Documentary Plus 1 an hour later.

(Lisa Manekofsky – Goodies-l – 16th Oct)

* Tues, 17 Oct & Weds, 18 Oct - The "Who Do You Think You Are?" about Bill will be repeated at various times on UKTV History and UKTV History Plus 1.

(Lisa Manekofsky – Goodies-l – 16th Oct)

* Tuesdays starting 17 Oct - "Bill Oddie's How to Watch Wildlife" is being repeated by BBC 2 at 20:00

Celebrities are to relearn the musical instruments they played as children for a BBC1 reality show that will also include nationwide events in which members of the public will sing or play with professionals.

Play It Again, to be made by the independent production company Diverse, will see Professor Robert Winston taking a refresher course on the saxophone and bird watcher Bill Oddie playing the electric guitar again, among other well-known figures.

Each week the celebrities will show how much they have learned with a public performance of their chosen instrument.

* Bill is scheduled to appear in an episode of "Never Mind the Buzzcocks" on 9 November.

(Lisa Manekofsky – Goodies-l – 28th Oct)

* Fri, 3 Nov - The "Married with Children" episode "The England Show, Part 1" with Bill, ITV4 at 18:30

(Lisa Manekofsky – Goodies-l – 28th Oct)

* Thurs, 9 Nov - The "Married with Children" episode "The England Show, Part 2" with Bill, ITV4 at 19:00

(Lisa Manekofsky – Goodies-l – 28th Oct)

* Fri, 3 Nov - "Top 50 Greatest Celebrity Animals" with an appearance by Bill on Sky Three at 21:00-23:00. Sky Three will repeat the show again on Sunday, 5 Nov at 00:10-02:10.

(Lisa Manekofsky – Goodies-l – 28th Oct)

* From http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6098442.stm

Oddie daughter wins song contest

The daughter of wildlife presenter Bill Oddie has won first prize in an international all-female singer-songwriting competition.

Rosie Oddie's winning track, Genni's Song, will be released next year on a compilation CD by Angelic Music, a new record label promoting women musicians.

The 21-year-old, who entered after her father spotted the contest in a magazine, said: "I'm really excited."

She also won a guitar, a music magazine subscription and songwriting software.

'Totally unique'

The singer's music has been compared to Ian Dury, with her winning track about a friend described as a mixture of punk, rap and funk.

Oddie has been writing music since she was 13, but has rejected previous offers of music deals.

"I feel I have only just got to the right age to do this for real," she said.

The judges, who voted unanimously for Oddie, had no idea the winner had a famous father until after they had made their decision.

Janis Haves, founder of Angelic Music, said: "There wasn't another song entered like hers. It was totally unique."

Abbie Lathe, a Shropshire-based singer and songwriter, came in second place, while US-based Maggi Jane of the band Maggi, Pierce & EJ was in third place.

All three winners will perform at a launch event early next year.

(Lisa Manekofsky – Goodies-l – 31st Oct)

GRAEME SPOTTINGS

* Just seen on the Collectormania web pages at the Gmex centre, Manchester web page: http://www.collectormaniagmex.co.uk ( 18th and 19th November ) - two of the people signing will be Graeme Garden and Tim Brooke-Taylor. It does say "subject to work commitments". I am already booked to go so I am now hoping that Bill will be there too, but I don't know how likely that is. (Donna Hutchings – 18th Oct)

* "The Unbelievable Truth" will air this Thursday, Oct 19th on BBC Radio 4 from 18:30 to 19:00. Here's a listing - "David Mitchell hosts a new game in which panelists are encouraged to tell lies and compete against one another to see how many items of truth they are able to smuggle past their opponents. Starring: Jeremy Hardy, Andy Hamilton, Neil Mullarkey, Graeme Garden

(Lisa Manekofsky – Goodies-l – 16th Oct)

* Here's an initial listing for "One", the new show airing on BBC Radio 4 next Thursday (16 Nov): "The all-new sketch show where no sketch features more than one voice. Written by David Quantick and starring Dan Maier, Lizzie Roper, Graeme Garden, Deborah Norton, Andrew Crawford, Dan Antopolski and Jeremy Clarkson as himself."

(Lisa Manekofsky – Goodies-l – 9th Nov)

* Sundays - "There'll Never Be Another" on BBC7; the series is presented by Graeme. Each episode will be broadcast several times during the day Sundays and will then be available via Listen Again for six days after broadcast. The shows can be heard worldwide via the internet from www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7 .

(Lisa Manekofsky – Goodies-l – 16th Oct)

* Keep an eye out for Graeme's small cameo in an upcoming appearance of the "Agatha Christie's Maple" episode "Nemesis".

(Lisa Manekofsky – Goodies-l – 2nd Nov)

* The new BBC Radio 4 show "One" will be a series, not a single episode. The series will air Thursdays starting, 16 Nov, at 23:00. Listen for contributions from Graeme, Bill, and others. If you enjoy the show you may wish to call the BBC Duty Log to let them know (the number is 08700 100222). I'm told the BBC does pay attention to this feedback.

(Lisa Manekofsky – Goodies-l – 17th Nov)

* I've found a listing for Graeme's appearance on "QI" for Friday, 24 Nov at 22:30 on BBC 4. I'll try to verify whether the BBC 2 broadcast will be on the same day. Keep an eye on your local listings.

(Lisa Manekofsky – Goodies-l – 17th Nov)

I'M SORRY I HAVEN'T A CLUE (ISIHAC) and

I'M SORRY I'LL READ THAT AGAIN (ISIRTA)

* Sundays - ABC Radio National is broadcasting "I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue" (with Tim and Graeme) on Sunday mornings at 5.30am.

(Lisa Manekofsky – Goodies-l – 16th Oct)

* Mondays - BBC 7 airs old episodes of "I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue" (with Tim and Graeme) and "I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again" (with all three Goodies). They are available via Listen Again for six days after broadcast. The shows can be heard worldwide via the internet from www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7 .

(Lisa Manekofsky – Goodies-l – 16th Oct)

* The good news is that there will be an opportunity to hear extra episodes of ISIHAC tomorrow (Saturday, Oct 21) when Jeremy Hardy serves as BBC7 Comedy Controller. The listing for that show (excerpted from the latest BBC7 newsletter) is included below. It can be heard online at www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7 live or for six days after broadcast (using Listen Again).

The bad news is that BBC7 has completed its run of "I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again" for the moment. Shows tend to leave their schedules and then reappear, so hopefully the gap won't be too long.

Earlier this year, Jeremy Hardy appeared at the 2006 Leicester Comedy Festival, so we had him in to don our Comedy Controller cap and gown. And now here's another chance to hear his half-Dozen favourite shows: Round The Horne (1st broadcast 19/05/1968), Linda Smith's Brief History Of Timewasting (26/07/2001), I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again (23/12/1973), Hancock's Half Hour - Sunday Afternoon At Home (22/04/1958), Armando Iannucci's Charm Offensive (18/05/2005), and I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (21/06/1999) Saturday at 9am, 8pm and 3am

(Lisa Manekofsky – Goodies-l – 21st Oct)

* Fri, 3 Nov - The "Linda Smith Gala", a tribute to the popular comedian on BBC7 at 23:00-00:00 (repeated Saturday, 4 Nov at 4:00-5:00). The show will include contributions from the ISIHAC cast (including Tim & Graeme). The show can be heard worldwide via the internet at www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7 .

(Lisa Manekofsky – Goodies-l – 2nd Nov)

* According to Amazon.co.uk, after a 10 year delay a new collection of "I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again" episodes is being released by BBC Audiobooks.

"I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again Volume 5" is scheduled for a 5 Feb 2007 release in the UK. There's no information yet about which episodes it will contain. Here's the current synopsis from Amazon: "This is, due to popular demand, and after a long break, a fifth volume of episodes from the irreverent radio comedy series which ran between 1964 and 1973. Starring John Cleese, Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graeme Garden, David Hatch, Jo Kendall and Bill Oddie, "ISIRTA" is a mix of quickfire sketches, bad puns, humorous songs, and TV and cinema parodies. It quickly developed a cult following, and was the forerunner of "The Goodies and I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue".

In addition, the previously released volumes 1-4 are slated to be released as a multi-CD set on the same day. While Amazon currently lists the title as "I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again: v. 1-4" the description claims volume 5 will be included in this set as well. We'll have to watch for updated information as the release date gets closer.

The new series of "I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue" starts this coming Monday, 13 November on BBC Radio 4 at 18:30. Jeremy Hardy joins the regulars in a show recorded at the Southport Theatre.

The guests for the upcoming ISIHAC recordings in this series will be Rob Brydon at the Victoria Palace Theatre, London on 12 Nov and Tony Hawks at the Sunderland Empire, Sunderland on 26 Nov.

(Lisa Manekofsky – Goodies-l – 12th Nov)

* A new CD entitled "I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue": In Search of Mornington Crescent" is scheduled for release in the UK on 5 March 2007.

Here's a description from Amazon.co.uk's website: "Mornington Crescent is a game whose rules and history are shrouded in myth and mystery. Now, in this extended version of a spoof documentary first aired on BBC Radio 4, the team from "I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue" research shine a light in the dark. As if that wasn't enough, Humphrey Lyttelton, Graeme Garden, Tim Brooke-Taylor and Barry Cryer also provide readings from two learned books on the subject: "The Little Book of Mornington Crescent" and "Stovold's Mornington Crescent Almanac". From Roman times to Chaucer and beyond, "Mornington Crescent" has become a legend in its own tube stop. Now, at last, its true history can be told."

(Lisa Manekofsky – Goodies-l – 12th Nov)

5. PLEASE RELEASE ME …

Lost "Engelbert" video recovered

(the audio is another matter...)

(by Lisa Manekofsky)

As many of you know, The Goodies fared better than many of their contemporaries when, decades ago, the BBC decided to discard materials thought of no future value for its archives (in the days before the home video market). Other than the original version of "Kitten Kong" and color versions of several episodes the Goodies catalog is fairly complete. However, until very recently it appeared one piece of Goodies history was missing - the segments they'd done for "Engelbert with the Young Generation".

For those unfamiliar with the story, in 1972 then-popular entertainer Engelbert Humperdinck starred in a variety show which was co-produced by the BBC and German broadcaster ZDF. The Goodies were asked for provide a short piece for each of the 13 episodes. About half consisting of filmed sequences recycled from Goodies episodes (such as the walking the pets scene from "Kitten Kong"). The other seven were specially filmed for the "Engelbert" series - five of these subsequently were edited together (with newly-written linking material) into the special "A Collection of Goodies". Eventually the BBC decided to discard the Engelbert series and the two Goodies segments unique to that series (along with specially recorded introductions to the recycled material) were thought lost. Which brings us to 2006...

A short time ago, a set of "Engelbert with the Young Generation" DVDs turned up online. Hoping it was a release of materials which finally had been unearthed a group of us pitched in to purchase a set. Upon receiving and reviewing the material it became obvious that it is not an official release but footage from the ZDF's archive. The good news is that the Goodies segments are present; the bad news is that the dialog has been dubbed into German. This basically affects the short introductions to the films (in which Engelbert visits the Goodies in their office and gives them an assignment for the week), though it's still clear what's going on (and luckily the BBC retained the camera scripts for these scenes). As in "The Goodies" episodes themselves, all but one of the short films that follow have no dialogue (and therefore retain their original audio tracks). Even with this small hitch, this is an exciting find!

Andrew Pixley knew exactly what to do next. He contacted the appropriate people at the BBC, BFI, and elsewhere to alert them that the footage still existed and to try to raise interest in official copies being obtained. I am delighted to pass along some fruits of his efforts.

* BFI Screening

The BFI National Film Theatre is planning another "Missing Believed Wiped" event on 2 December. Current plans are to screen one of the two "lost" Engelbert segments, "The Bodyguards" at that event (the second MBW screening at 6:10pm on 2nd December in NFT1).

Andrew contributed a more extensive article about the Engelbert footage to TV Zone issue #209, which was published on Wednesday, 8 November. The five page article includes images from the other missing segment "The Country Code". The magazine can be found in shops or ordered from the publisher, Visual Imagination (http://www.visimag.com/tvzone/ )

* Raiders of the Lost Archive

Granada are working on a new series, "Raiders of the Lost Archive", which is set to air in 2007. The premise of the series is to find footage thought lost and then show it to some of the participants, which should produce an entertaining reaction. The producers have been interested in doing a segment about Bill and, therefore, were extremely interested to investigate the lost Engelbert clips. With any luck some of the material will find its way into the special.

You can find more information about "Raiders of the Lost Archive" and their appeal to help find missing TV material at

Robert Ross's second book about our favorite trio, entitled "The Goodies Rule OK" (hmm, where else have I heard that name...? ;) is now available in shops in the UK and Australia (and by mail order for fans in other countries).

"The Goodies Rule OK" is a really nice looking book, thanks to its well designed layout, use of color, and the wealth of photographs throughout. Even die-hard Goodies fans will be impressed by the wide range of photos - there are sure to be many pictures they've never seen before. For example, the book includes photos taken during rehearsals for Goodies episodes, some Cambridge University era pictures, and even a few publicity stills from the pre-Goodies shows "Twice A Fortnight" and "Broaden Your Mind".

"The Complete Goodies", Robert's first Goodies title, took the format of an A-Z guide. "The Goodies Rule OK" is a chronological overview of the Goodies story, starting with a bit of biographical information about Tim, Graeme, and Bill and the paths that led them to meet at Cambridge. The book then touches upon their major pre-Goodies works before delving into a more detailed discussion of the Goodies' projects (the television show, records, books, etc.) The author makes use of material from the BBC archives to tell the story in addition to integrating previously published/broadcast interviews with new ones.

I found the book to be a very interesting read, although perhaps a bit uneven at times. For example, certain Goodies episodes are discussed at great length while others are given only a brief description. Some series of the radio show "I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again" are mentioned while others are pretty much overlooked. In all fairness, I should confess I am the type of Goodies fan who's interested in "all the details"; other people just want to know the basic story, which is entirely reasonable. "The Goodies Rule OK" does a good job in the latter respect. And for those who crave more detail, we have Andrew Pixley's extensively researched book to look forward to (no publication date has been set yet, though having seen an early draft of the first few chapters I can attest that it's going to be worth the wait!) Then again, Andrew's book is unlikely to be illustrated, and certainly not to the degree of Robert's.

"The Goodies Rule OK" serves as an excellent companion to other Goodies resources & publications. The book isn't a full episode guide - yes, it lists all the episodes, but it doesn't go into complete plot details, listings of guest stars & songs, etc. But we don't need it to do that - we have Brett Allender's excellent Goodies Episode Summaries, which are available on the club site (URLs for this and other referenced items can be found at the end of the article). Robert and Brett's works nicely compliment each other - you can get the full episode summary from Brett's guide and then read interesting stories & tid bits about the episodes in Robert's book. In the same way, while Robert's book doesn't include a Goodies discography it does provide some interesting information about their records, including the reason the group moved from one record label to another. Readers can then make use of my online Goodies Illustrated Guide if they're interested in more specifics (such as track listings for the albums). In turn, "The Goodies Rule OK" has photos of a few promotional items for the Goodies records that are not available in the Illustrated Guide.

"The Goodies Rule OK" especially shines when making use of interviews with Tim, Graeme, Bill, Jim Franklin and others to tell the Goodies’ story. Thanks in part to that, and the wonderful photos throughout the book, it has easily earned its place as part of the essential Goodies library.

Our three Goodies music reviewers from over the past decade, Emperor Caligula (aka Brett Allender), Peaches Stiletto (aka Linda Kay) and Caroline Kooky (aka Alison Bean) are all currently aboard the trandem pedalling like mad trying to win the Tour de France and dodge the volley of breadsticks hurled at them by the disgruntled mob of Frenchmen waiting at the finish line who are expecting "Le Bon Bon – The Sweeties" to triumph instead. After this they will either continue their leisurely ride on to Skegness or hot up their disused railway station for a tilt at the "Lemons Vings Quaters Hurs" race, so with a bit of luck we won't hear any more pitiful puns or ratty refrains from any of our distant DJs (well, not until next month anyway!)

Instead we're happy to bring you a bonus edition featuring just the lyrics of the two main versions of "THE GOODIES THEME":

(1) the version which was used at the start of the very first Goodies episode and appeared in various guises in the first four series of the show and on the album "The Goodies Sing Songs From The Goodies", and:

(2) The version used from Series 5 onwards (with some minor variations for different series) which also appears on the '70s albums "The New Goodies LP", "The Goodies Greatest" and "Best Of … The Goodies", and on the 1997 CD "Yum Yum – The Very Best Of The Goodies"

In the September C&G I put together an article called "In Search Of Goodiesruleok.com" which looked at the many weird and wonderful phrases which people have typed into internet search engines that have ultimately led them in some roundabout way to our website. As a means of ending the newsletter with a bit of silliness, I'll endeavour to list a dozen or so of the more unusual search strings each month. Here are a few from recent times that have brought visitors to our website, much to our surprise and theirs too, quite possibly.

- "Germaine Greer fan club"

(That depends on whether we're a target for her invective or not)

- "Steve Irwin jokes"

(Hmm, Germaine might be the biggest one yet after her charming comments about his demise)

- "metamucil tablets"

(Just read a few of my pun-packed music reviews and you'll go to the loo regularly without the need for any tablets!)

- "Julie Andrews fan club"

(Perhaps not, though we are fans of her "appearance" in the Movies episode – "The hills are alive to the sound of ... ERRRK!" Good shot Geronimo!)

- "Playgirl mens college swim team photos"

(If Tim (aka Mitzi) manages to smuggle the photos out, we'd like a sneaky peek at them too!)

- "big brother tits"

(Bill might have observed a few wild pairs of those in "Springwatch"!)

- "dagwood dogs"

(Looks like Graeme even raided the old "Blondie" cartoons for his Frankenfido "chopping list")

- "combat trousers"

(Another Graeme invention – they have a special pocket which you can fold a bazooka into)

- "cow explodes on bill oddie"

(Sounds like a very mooo-ving experience – for Bill and the cow)

- "didgeridoo mary whitehouse"

(Yes but I'll bet that Geri got a slap in the face for his trouble though!)

- "goodies graham gardener"

(Every overgrown haunted house should have one)

- "max bygraves does he have a fan club"

(Not here he doesn't! Wrongee placee dearie!)

- "muffin the mule fan club"

(You can get locked up for that, you know!)

- "does ratsak kill snakes"

(Maybe if you ask him nicely! I'm sure it would do the trick with the common trouser variety at any rate.)